While we expect regular service from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), we're also aware that there are occasional disruptions. In some cases, these halts in delivery or post office closures last longer than we'd like. Over the past few months, severe winter weather has pushed the agency into closing dozens of post offices, but as temperatures heat up, the USPS is now facing different disruptions to its operations. Read on to find out about the latest postal closures.
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The USPS is suspending services in two states.
iStockThere are any number of circumstances that can affect the mail system, along with hazardous weather. When any of these problem arise, the Postal Service works to notify customers through its Service Alerts website. You can use this online tool to find "current, frequently-updated information about whether mail is being delivered to your neighborhood or if your local post office is open," the USPS explains.
According to the latest updates to Service Alerts, new disruptions are affecting postal customers in two different states. On May 15, the USPS alerted the public to a post office closure in Michigan, and the very next day, the agency announced that another facility is being closed temporarily in Tennessee.
The Michigan post office was closed for safety reasons.
ShutterstockIn a May 15 alert, the USPS announced that the Lake Post Office in Lake, Michigan, is "closed to the public due to safety concerns."
Best Life reached out to the Postal Service to find out more about the safety concerns in question, and will update this story with their response.
But local news outlets WPBN and WGTU jointly reported that the Lake Post Office has been shut down because of a mercury spill. Postal employees from the facility said they had been sorting mail inside the building when they discovered what appeared to be mercury leaking out of one of the packages, according to the news outlets.
The Tennessee facility has been facing lease issues.
iStockPer a May 16 alert from the USPS, operations are also now "temporarily suspended" at a facility in Morrison, Tennessee. This includes the suspension of both retail and P.O. Box services at the Morrison Post Office, the Postal Service confirmed in separate local press release about the closure.
On the other hand, "delivery service is not affected and will continue uninterrupted," the agency added.
While the Postal Service did not offer any reasoning for the closure in its alerts, local news reports indicate that the Morrison Post Office has been facing lease issues. According to the Southern Standard, the facility has been tied up in a battle because it leases the property rather than owns it.
In fact, the Morrison Post Office narrowly escaped being forced to relocate in Dec. 2022, and the problem seems to have not been resolved. Morrison mayor Sue Anderson told the newspaper that she is unaware of the post office's status now.
“The suspension is due to the non-renewal of a lease," a USPS spokesperson confirmed to Best Life. "The Postal Service continues to provide delivery service to the Morrison, TN community and is reviewing plans to offer retail and Post Office Box service."
The Postal Service is directing affected customers to alternative post offices.
ShutterstockNo information has yet been provided as to when the Lake Post Office or the Morrison Post Office will be reopened. For the time being, the USPS is directing affected customers from both facilities to alternative options.
For the Michigan closure, the agency said that packages and P.O. Box mail from the Lake Post Office will be available at the Clare Post Office. Customers can also access retail services at other nearby facilities, like the Lake George Post Office, the Farwell Post Office, and the Harrison Post Office.
Meanwhile, P.O. Box services will remain available at the Morrison Post Office until the end of the week. Starting May 22, affected customers in Tennessee will need to pick up their P.O. Box mail at the Manchester Post Office.
"The U.S. Postal Service apologizes for this inconvenience to our customers," the agency said in its local press release. "More information will be provided as soon as it becomes available."
